St Matthew’s Church in Sutton Bridge held it’s annual Propeller Memorial Service on Sunday, September 6 in memory of all who lost their lives during World War Two who were based in the town.
Many of those who lost their lives from RAF Sutton Bridge are buried in the church yard, including pilots from the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Free French, Polish and Czech air forces.
The airfield finally closed in 1958 after almost 35 years and a propeller blade salvaged from a crashed plane was mounted as a memorial, and erected on the banks of the River Nene close by the Cross Keys Bridge at Sutton Bridge.
Recently Long Sutton Men’s Shed was commissioned to make a replica of the propeller blade memorial to sit in the church and be used when the memorial service would otherwise be rained off.
The original dedication ceremony in 1957 was performed by the Lord Bishop of Lincoln in the presence of a large gathering of distinguished representatives of the Allied Air Forces.
The recent service in Sutton Bridge attracted a large congregation from St Matthew’s Church which was officiated by Rev. Paul Carey-Slater.
Sir John Hayes also attended and is photographed along side the memorial replica, which had been taken from the church to the Curlew Centre by local air cadets, where everyone enjoyed a buffet reception.
